if you have anxiety over the elections, I recommend grounding yourself in the real possibility that we might be in this for another 4 years. If you hope for the best and prep for the worst, it'll hurt less.

on a positive note, I recommend reading this piece by Institute for the Future titled "Post-Pandemic Transformation: Building a Mutualist Future:" https://medium.com/institute-for-the-future/post-pandemic-transformation-building-a-mutualist-future-c1193bc77759

we should be pushing for interdependence, stewardship, universal rights, and resilience, which make up mutualism. We've already started doing this from the beginning of the pandemic to now, we just have to work on systematizing it/seeing ourselves as part of mutuality.

The Transition Integrity Project ran a gamut of what-if scenarios over the summer and they believe post-election will be chaotic, as the current admin is likely to contest the result by both legal and other means, in
an attempt to hold onto power.

If this is somehow new to you, it's been unfolding for months via false narratives about voter fraud to pave the way for the delegitimization of the election, flexing federal power to crush movements & painting dissenting voices as the enemy - we been knew this was possible.

if you have time to read through the scenarios, I'd really recommend it. It's sobering to say the least. https://secureservercdn.net/192.169.223.13/lz3.b02.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Preventing_a_Disrupted_Presidential_Election_and_Transition_8-3-20.2.pdf

the topic of emergency prep and go-bags has come up a lot lately, and this piece by Julia Singley includes what should go into yours as part of your emergency plan: https://medium.com/@jusingley/whats-in-your-emergency-plan-5f6b1bdeb9da

I think there will be an uptick of armed m*l*tias in other states tbh, so if your state has carry laws I would rec making sure you have enough food, medicine and cleaning supplies for at least 14 days.

none of this is going to be easy, unless by some offshoot chance we're over preparing (which would be nice lmao) - but I'm grounded in the fact that some of us are prepared, and others of us have been working towards this moment for quite some time.

I have a lot of other thoughts I'll likely just write about in a newsletter, cause it's been a while